Smartphone Presence and Immediate Recall in Adolescents: An Exploratory Pilot Study
Advisor: Mr. Yoon
Internship Location: Dr. Tulsa Knox Psychological PLLC (Remote)
Onsite Mentor: Tulsa Knox
Most high school students in the country carry a smartphone, making it the single most unifying characteristic of adolescence today. These devices are so normalized that many students never consider how proximity alone might quietly undermine their ability to learn. Yet a growing body of research points to a phenomenon known as the brain drain effect, where the mere presence of a personal smartphone occupies limited cognitive resources and reduces available working memory, even when the device is silenced, face-down, and never checked. Despite mounting evidence in university populations, this effect remains critically understudied among high school students, who are arguably the most device-dependent and developmentally vulnerable demographic. This exploratory study investigates whether the mere presence or smartphones impair retention of academic material in high school students at BASIS Independent Brooklyn. Using a two-condition between-subjects design, 45 to 60 participants across multiple grade levels complete a standardized recall task either with their phone placed visibly on the desk or stored in a separate room. By sampling across grades, the study also examines whether developmental stage during puberty, a period of rapid cognitive and neurological growth, moderates the strength of the brain drain effect. The ultimate goal of this research is not simply to document a problem but to empower students with actionable knowledge about their own learning. Armed with evidence about how phone proximity shapes academic performance, students will gain the ability to control their learning conditions, deepen their comprehension, and ultimately enjoy a more meaningful educational experience.
Project Blog
Week 0: Smartphone Presence & Memory Recall (A Pilot Study of Adolescent Academic Retention)
Hello, I am Joaquim hawken, and I am very excited to introduce my project to you all! For my senior project, I will be analyzing how high school students' retention of academic material is affected by cell phone usage. This is a topic that I have a personal connection with due to my struggles with focus and attention due to my ADHD. I'm eager to produce findings that clarify how phone placement affects short-term memory and recall. The way I will go about this is through a short-form standardized reading assessment. Students will be placed in groups, with their cellular devices positioned in different ways: either out of the room, present on their desk, or present with the ringer turned on. The students will read an 8th-grade level text, and after a set amount of time the text will be taken away. They will then answer a number of short-answer questions that test their comprehension and recall of the material.
Based on the results, I will identify trends in cellular device placement, retention, and recall of the material. I will be working with Tulsa Knox in order to gather other data sets I may need online or any sort of active recall papers I may need in order to support my research. Additionally, I will be at BASIS Independent Brooklyn working with students, gathering data through experimentation, and I will be interviewing teachers, including the school psychologist, due to their insight and observations on students, such as how focused they are in class, and when it comes to their academic capabilities. Once I can synthesize all of this data and context from Basis administrators/teachers, I expect to find a correlation between phone proximity and recall scores. I look forward to showing you all my research, and I can't wait to see the projects and results you all create.
Week 1: Mental mapping
I have spent my first week of my research project on the effects a smartphone has on immediate verbal memory, tackling some of the larger challenges I will have to deal with.
The main challenge is my sample size of students. I have concluded, with my advisor and remote mentor, that it will be best to continue the project with a focus on 9th- and 10th-grade students to limit variation in reading comprehension within the sample, therefore simplifying the number of variables present in the test.
The finalized assessment that I will perform, which was proposed to my high school director, is a 10-minute reading comprehension short-answer assessment. The students will be seated in their respective rooms, with each room having a different phone condition. Then, the students will be given the reading passage face down to ensure everyone has the same amount of time to review the information. Once the 4 minutes of reading are complete, the students will be given 6 minutes to answer 5 short-answer questions.
The students will then be rewarded with pizza and chocolate, which I will provide. What is not yet finalized is when we will assess the students' baseline memory. I am aware that the group of students will have differing strengths in terms of cognitive load and information management, so it is important for the accuracy of our data that we understand each student's baseline memory.
Beyond this, I have looked into new terms such as immediate verbal memory and, more broadly, the various types of memory that exist. The access to medical databases that Dr. Knox has provided me with has only increased my curiosity and led me to further questions. I look forward to sharing some of what I learn once I dive deeper into these clearance-requiring databases. Until next week.
Post 3: Week Two: diving into the books
I have spent this week reading literature that I couldn’t have easily accessed before with the help of Doctor Knox. It has been very helpful as I have been exposing myself to a number of studies, all vast in scope application methodology and goal. For example, a study by Henry H. Wilmer, Lauren E. Sherman, and Jason M. Chein. Focused on the usage of chronic smartphone usage correlated to healthy lifestyle decisions. This study was completed through many parameters and metrics such as height and weight tracking, information on the subjects economic background, parental education, and frequency of activity. This study in particular got me intrigued and made me consider the following. Practically, is there any limit to the increasingly broadening scope of individuals negatively affected by persistent smartphone over-use? The findings suggested a meaningful relationship between screen time and broader behavioral patterns, which only deepened my curiosity about how far-reaching these effects truly are across different demographic groups and age ranges. Related to the structure of my assessment of BASIS students, these new studies have given me new reliable and even more time efficient testing methods for different types of memory, helping solve one of my more concerning problems with this project, the time the assessment would take. Another reliable tool for testing which would eliminate the bias against students who are worse at reading comprehension, if we directly test short term memory of specific words, patterns, and reaction time we can gain the specific metrics we need in order to score subjects according to their level of short term recollection capabilities, then we can see if their abilities are impaired by a cellular device. That is all for now, until next week.
Post 4: Week Three: An Interesting component
This week has been spent in communication with my High School Director and Dean. We are currently in the midst of finalizing and securing my testing conditions, so an update will be included in my Week Four blog post.
I feel as though I have made significant progress in my overall understanding of what causes cell phone dependency and related conditions, such as nomophobia (the fear or anxiety of not having your phone, or the anxiety caused by not being able to check or stay updated on it). I initially assumed that chronic phone dependency stemmed from individuals lacking dopamine sensitivity or impulse control, but the issue appears to be much more cultural than I anticipated. This problem has affected cultures around the world at a similar time, making it difficult to recognize as a visible shift from within.
A book that I’ve been reading, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, proposes that the increased dependence on phones among younger generations is tied to the developmental window between ages 9–15. During this period, the brain undergoes a second major growth phase, making children especially sensitive to their environment. In this stage, they move from primarily adopting family norms to actively absorbing and internalizing the norms of their peers and broader society. When social media and virtual platforms dominate that environment, it can significantly shape a teen’s sense of culture and connection. Research has linked this to increased loneliness, higher anxiety, and a reduced sense of meaningful connection with peers.
This is something I did not expect to find in my research. It’s something I will need to consider moving forward—whether the issue is the phone itself or the systems and companies that make it so compelling for kids to use it.
Post 5: Week Four: Re-uploaded, Putting pieces into place
This week, I was able to finalize my plans for gathering my data. After revising multiple drafts with my advisor, Dr. Tulsa Knox, we agreed on a final version of the testing procedure. To ensure student engagement, I will provide incentives (food and snacks) upon completion of the survey. The survey will be conducted during lunch for 9th–10th grade students.
I will test students in three different conditions (10–15 students per group). The test will be projected onto the board, where a set of information that students are required to memorize will be displayed. After 10 seconds, it will disappear. Students will then sit and process the information for another 10 seconds, after which they will recreate what was displayed to the best of their abilities. This process will be repeated three times per group, so only about five minutes of testing time per group is needed. Students will recreate the information on printed paper that I provide, and they will also complete a survey indicating their level of cellphone usage and how prone they are to smartphone-related distractions.
In addition, as I continue my research, I recently finished reading Attention Span by Gloria Mark. One finding she presents is that it takes an average of about 23 minutes to fully regain focus after a digital interruption. This connects directly to my study on academic retention in high school students. If passive smartphone proximity alone is enough to divert mental resources, then students who are more accustomed to constant phone stimulation may demonstrate measurably weaker short-term memory recall when asked to retain projected academic material. My study aims to capture this exact effect by correlating self-reported smartphone usage levels with students’ ability to accurately recreate memorized information—essentially putting Dr. Mark’s findings to the test in a real-world academic setting.
Post 6: Week Five: Ready Set Go
This week marked the end of the preparation phase of my project, and I am feeling genuinely excited about what is ahead. After weeks of refining the research design, consulting with mentors, and navigating the logistics of working within a school environment, everything is coming together.
The highlight of this week was finalizing the list of 30 students who will be participating in my experiment next Thursday. I spent time consulting with Dr. Knox, Mr. Yoon, and Director Forde to confirm who would be taking part in the study. Securing the participants makes the whole project feel much more real and tangible.
As a summary, the test will be conducted during lunch and will involve 9th- and 10th-grade students split into three separate conditions based on phone placement. Each group will be shown a set of information projected on the board, which they will have 10 seconds to memorize. After it disappears, they will have another 10 seconds to process before recreating what they saw on printed paper. This will be repeated three times per group, keeping the total testing time to around five minutes per group. Students will also complete a short survey measuring their typical level of smartphone usage, which will allow me to correlate phone habits with recall performance using a Pearson correlation coefficient.
After finalizing the protocol, getting administrative approval, and reading through a number of papers and journals, I feel confident and prepared heading into testing. Next week's post will have actual results. Until then!
Post 7: Week Six: Ready Set Test
This week marked the end of the data collection phase of my project. After weeks of preparation, coordination, and anticipation, testing is officially done. I’m relieved and excited to say that everything went according to plan.
The highlight of this week was conducting the examination itself. On Thursday, I administered the recall protocol to 20 participants across two groups of 10. Each group moved through the seven memorization rounds smoothly. In addition, the printed response sheets came back filled out exactly as the protocol called for. The short smartphone usage surveys were collected as well, which means I now have everything I need to run the statistical analysis I have been building toward.
Having the complete dataset in hand feels like a genuine milestone. The three conditions, based on phone placement during the task, each produced a full set of recall scores, and I am eager to see how they compare once I run the analysis.
It has been a long road getting here. Between designing the protocol, securing administrative approval, and waiting for the right moment to execute, I am ready to move forward. I will be running descriptive statistics first to get a broad picture of performance across the three groups, followed by Pearson correlation analysis to explore the relationship between smartphone habits and recall accuracy.
Next week's post will have actual findings and trends. I have a feeling it is going to be a revealing one. Until then!
Post 8: Week Seven: The Phone Effect
Hey everyone, welcome back to another week of my ongoing research project! The data analysis phase has been one of the most exciting parts of this entire process. There is something uniquely satisfying about watching weeks of careful preparation and experimental design start to pay off in the form of real, meaningful findings.
I have been spending a lot of time this week sitting with the numbers and thinking carefully about what it all means before jumping to any conclusions. Upon collecting and reviewing all of the data, I am starting to see some curious differences in my findings. For example, results from the Cell Phone Addiction Scale survey showed variation in levels of phone reliance among participants. However, when comparing actual testing performance, the differences were much smaller than I initially expected.
This indicates to me that notifications do have an effect on our brains, but what is truly interesting, and ultimately the reason I chose this project in the first place, is why our phones affect us subconsciously in the way they do. Next week I will be diving further into the statistical breakdown and working to pull everything together for the final presentation.
Post 9: Week Eight: Almost There
Hello, guys! Welcome back to another blog post about my research project! This week has been similar to the previous one in that I am finalizing my data and trying to identify certain trends that may exist within it. I am particularly aware of the limited number of participants, which may affect my conclusions.
I spent the majority of my time continuing to work through the data and organizing my findings in a way that will translate clearly into my final presentation. There is a lot to sort through, and making sure everything is properly structured before I start drawing formal conclusions has been my main priority. I want to make sure that every claim I make is fully supported by what the data actually shows rather than rushing to an answer.
I am also starting to think more seriously about how I want to frame the broader takeaways of this project. The relationship between phone habits and cognitive performance is something I feel like I am only beginning to scratch the surface of, and I’m finding some unexpected trends. Because of that, I need to take a step back and make sure I am not overlooking anything important.
Week 9: Phones Are The Problem
Hello guys! I’m done working with the data. But finishing the data phase doesn’t mean I get to relax. Starting next week, I’ll be digging into my experimental results to tackle the real question: why are cell phones so problematic, and what can we actually do about it?
The dominant narrative around phone use is that it’s a discipline issue. But these apps aren’t passive tools; they’re aggressively engineered to capture your attention. Every notification, every infinite scroll, and every dopamine hit from a like is the product of billions of dollars spent making sure you don’t put your phone down. Telling someone to simply have more willpower against that is neither a fair fight nor realistic.
The effects are real and well documented. Frequent phone checking fragments attention so severely that you may never reach deep focus at all. Using phones before bed floods your brain with social anxiety and novel stimuli right when it needs to wind down. Research even shows that a phone sitting untouched on a table between two people measurably reduces the quality of their conversation.
The best solutions focus on changing the environment. Phone-free zones, notification audits, and intentional scheduling work because they reduce the number of moments where willpower is even required. On a broader level, schools with phone-free policies are seeing real results, and there’s growing momentum around treating attention as a public health issue.
Week 10: A glance at the info
Hey everyone, welcome back to week ten of my senior research project. I cannot believe we are almost at the finish line! This has been one of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences of my academic career, and I am so excited to start pulling everything together for the final presentation.
This week, I have been deep in the data, and the findings are more interesting than I even anticipated going into this. Let me share what I am seeing. The first thing that jumped out at me is that the phone-present group actually peaked higher on average than the phone-absent group across the learning trials, 9.7 words versus 6.6 words at their best. At first glance, that sounds like phones are not the problem, right? But here is where it gets really interesting. Once the interference trial hit, the phone-present group dropped significantly harder, an average drop of 1.5 words, while the phone-absent group barely budged, dropping only 0.3. So yes, they climbed higher, but their retention was far more fragile under pressure.
The finding I am most excited about, though, is what the Cell Phone Addiction Scale reveals when you cross-reference it with performance. Students who scored above the addiction threshold dropped an average of 1.82 words after interference. Students below that threshold? They actually improved slightly.
That tells me it is not just about whether the phone is in the room. It is about your baseline relationship with your phone and how deeply that has rewired your ability to hold onto information when disruption hits. There is still a lot to unpack here, and I cannot wait to bring it all together next week for the final presentation.
Week 11: Wrapping It All Up
Hey guys! Welcome back to week eleven of my senior project blog! This is going to be my second-to-last blog post as we wrap up the school year at BASIS Independent Brooklyn.
Looking back to when I started this project, I had no idea where this journey would take me. Now that I am in the final stretch, my focus is on practicing my presentation and preparing to share my findings with my faculty judges and, later, the high school student body.
I have also spent some extra time working on presentation skills such as pacing, eye contact, and communicating my ideas clearly and concisely through a workshop organized by Mr. Brauch, and I am very grateful to him for that opportunity.
Next Tuesday will be my first major presentation, so I will be spending the next few days practicing and preparing for questions.
Thank you all for following along, and wish me luck next week!
Week 12: My conclusion
Wow, this project is coming to a close. After this entire process, I think it's important to take a step back and reflect on the journey and the knowledge I was able to gain during this time.
At the start of this project, I was a perfect example of what excessive phone use can do to a person. With more than eight hours of screen time each day, I felt like a zombie some days, dragging myself through even the smallest tasks. My morning routine stretched into an hour-long process. Meals became opportunities to consume content while consuming food, and overall, I felt sluggish.
Through my research and a newfound understanding of what constant phone use was doing to me, I was able to reverse many of these effects and take back control of my days.
Thank you to my advisors for their guidance and support throughout this project. And thank you to all of my readers for following along on this journey!
Here is a link to my presentation slides.